Nut making machine



Aug. 26, 194,1. B. H. MORTUS EI'AL NUT MAKING MACHINE Filed Nov. 17, 1939 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORN mm wm 3? New m E. W? M5, 0 u

1941 B. H. MoRTUs ETAL 2,254,120

NUT MAKING momma Filed Nov; 17, 1939 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 f m .mmwwm m mmm Maw ATTOR Aug. 26, 1941.

B. H. MQRTUS ETAL NUT MAKING MACHINE Filed Nov. 17, 1959 7 Sheehs-Sheet 3 1NVENTOR5 ATTORNEYS Aug. 26, 1941. B.YH. MORTUS EIAL NUT MAKING MACHINE Filed NOV. 17, 1939 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS WflMl/Y A. Nae r05 laws 5' TE/NFMQ 7h ATT RN 5 Aug. 26, 1941. B, H. MORTUS ETAL NUT MAKING MACHINE Filed Nov. 17, 1939 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 1NVENTOR5 100/5 fr /river f/warmz M ATTO 5 5 Aug. 26, 1941 a om-u AL 2,254,120

NUT MAKING MACHINE A TTORN 5 1941- B. H. MOR rus EIAL 2,254,120

NUT MAKING MACHINE Filed Nov. 17, 1939 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 44 0 0 45 56.24 g 6627 INVENTORJ v fismmmu/K Noam:

BY Lou/.5 STE/NFUET/l Patented Aug. 26, 194i NUT MAKING MACHINE Benjamin H. Mortus, Shaker Heights, and Louis .Steinfurth, East Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to The National Screw & Manufacturing'company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 17, 1939, Serial No. 304,974

15 Claims.

This invention relates to nut making machines and has particular reference to the provision of an eflicient tapping station in .a machine in which other operations, such as facing and drilling, are performed on the nut blanks. In one of its aspects, the invention is an improvement on the nut making machine constituting-the subject matter of the Erdman Patent No. 1,685,319 granted September 25, 1928.

In the patent referred to there is disclosed a machine wherein a nut blank which is delivered from a hopper'is successively operated on at a plurality of stations, and at such stations is subjected to a plurality of operations including the countersinking and facing of the forward end of the blank, and the countersinking, crowning or castle turning, and drilling on the opposite end with the blank carried from station to station while held in the chuck of an indexible turret until finally the blank completed except for tapping is delivered from the machine.

Although theexact operations which are performed on the blank in addition to the tapping operation are not material to the present invention, we have added to the machine of the Erdman patent a tapping mechanism arranged to effeet the tapping of the blank at the last station provided in the Erdman machine, this being accomplished without adding another station by rearranging and altering the operations that are performed at the other stations. The present invention embodies important features which have to do with the tapping operation only and may have utility in a machine wherein the principal and only operation is tapping, but it finds especial utility in a machine such as shown in the Erdman patent wherein other operations are performed on the blank prior to the tapping operation, it being important in this phase of the invention that the blank be faced and drilled and finally tapped at the last station with the blank being successively brought to the difierent stations and operated on by the tools, including finally the tapping tool.

It is a further important feature that at this tapping station a so-called bent tap is utilised which does away with the necessity of reversing therelative rotation of the tap and the blank at the completion of the tapping operation, thus saving time and in fact making it possible to include the tapping operation without increasing the length of the cycle of operations. In providing the tapping station or attachment in a machine a bent tap along the shank of which the tapped nuts are fed after the tapping operation, the bent tap functions in a new manner and is given movements which are new. I therefore regard the tapping mechanism per se as an important part of the invention as well as the combination of the tapping feature with the other parts which are responsible for the other operations which are performed on the nut blank.

The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts which will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings wherein we have illustrated an embodiment of the invention which operates with high efllciency,

Fig. 1 is a side view of a nut-making machine embodying our invention, the machine here shown being a modification of the machine disclosed and claimed in the above-mentioned Erdman patent; i Fig. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 2a is a sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the rear or bent end of the tap and some of the associated parts;

Fig. 3 is an end view looking toward the left of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view substantially along the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail elevation along the line '|'I of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the'parts shown in Fig. '7 with parts in section along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a portion of the machine;

Fig. 10 is a face view of a portion of the turret with the transfer arm which delivers each blank to one of the chucks of the turret;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of a portion of the tapping mechanism showing the tapping end of the bent tap engaged in tapping a nut blank held in the chuck of the turret in the last station where the tapping operation is performed;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view along the line l2--l2 of Fig. 11;

Fig. l2a-is a fragmentary side view showing a portion of the auxiliary blank holder and a of this character and incorporating in the same portion of the housing therefor including the screw and slot for limiting the axial movement of the holder in the housing; and

Figs. 13 to 30 are diagrammatic views which illustrate the various operations successively performed on the nut blank; Figs. 13 to 15 show a sectional view and front and rear views of the blank as it is fed from the hopper to the first operating position or station; Figs. 16 to 18 are similar views but showing a crowning and count'ersinklng tool which operates on the forward face of the blank; Figs. 19 to 21 are similar views showing the countersinking tool which operates on the rear face of the blank at the second station of the turret; Figs. 22 to 24 are similar views showing the drilling and facing tools which operate upon the blank at the third station; Figs. 25 to 27 are similar views showin the drill which completes the drilling operation at the fourth station; and Figs. 28 to 30 are similar views showing the tapping operation at the fifth station and also the tap.

In applying my invention to the machine of the Erdman patent it has been necessary to change the machine in some particulars only and as the mechanism of the remaining portion of the machine is unaltered, it is thought the latter portion does not require a detailed description since, for a complete understanding of the same, reference may be had to the Erdman patent.

Referring now to the drawings, as in the Erdman patent the machine includes a bed l6 which is supported on legs 16a in turn resting in an oil pan l6b. Extending through and journaled in the bed is a shaft I! which can be driven in any suitable manner, but in this instance is driven by a pulley llb adapted to be rotated by a belt. This shaft I1 is provided with all the cams which control the various movable parts of the machine including the parts which are instrumental in performing the tapping operation.

Supported on the bed l6 at the head end of the machine is a turret l8 suitably supported in a housing I80. on the bed, this turret being provided with a series of chucks i9. As a fivestation turret is employed as in the Erdman patent, the turret is provided with five chucks l9 equally spaced about the axis of the turret.

The nut blanks, which are designated ill (see Figs. 13, 14, and 15), are, as in the Erdman patent, fed from a suitable hopper 20 supported on the turret housing lBa. The feeding mechanism in the hopper may be of usual construction and need not be described.

From a trough-like neck 20a of the hopper the blanks are fed through a chute 22 (see Fig. 3) from the bottom of which the blanks pass one at a time through the top side and into a chuck 23 (Fig. 1) which holds the blank for the first operation which is performed on the forward face or end thereof. The chuck is supported beneath the chute 22 in a bracket 23a supported from the bed. The chuck includes a spring collet which is adapted to be moved inward to grip the blank, as clearly described in the Erdman patent, through the medium of rotary and stationary members having on their adjacent faces cam lugs and recesses arranged so that when the rotary member is turned the cam action between the stationary and rotary members causes the collet to grip the blank. The rotary member, designated 23c, is adapted to be turned back and forth so as to cause the'jaws of the collet to be closed and opened by a rod 232 and levers connected to a connecting rod which is actuated by a cam 23h on shaft I'I. Extending centrally through the collet is a pusher 24 (Fig. 1) which is moved back and forth, and when it is retracted the lowermost blank drops in front of it, and when it is moved forward it pushes the blank forwardly into the Jaws of the collet so that a portion of the blank will pro- J'ect beyond the jaws, as fully described and illustrated in the Erdman patent. This pusher 24 is supported and reciprocated by a slide 25 which slides back and forth on the bed and not only actuates the pusher but moves back and forth the tools (including the rotating tap and tap spindle of the present invention) which act on the blanks supported by the chucks in the turret. The pusher is supported in the boss 25a. in effect forming a part of the slide (see Fig. 1), and a spring 25b is arranged between the boss and a shoulder on the pusher so that the pusher may yield in case it encounters an obstruction.

So far as the arrangement of tools is concerned, we prefer to follow the Erdman patent. This arrangement includes the provision forwardly of and in line with the chuck 22 of a tool 26 which performs the first operation on the blank, this being on the forward end of the blank. In the Erdman patent the facing is done at the forward end of the blank and the crowning or castle turning at the rear end, but in this instance these operations are reversed for more accurate results are obtained by facing the washer or work engaging face of the blank and performing the drilling and tapping operations at the rear end of the blank while the blank is bein8 gripped by a chuck of the turret. As in the Erdman patent, the tool 26 is secured to the end of a revolving shaft or spindle 21 which is rotatably supported and endwise movable in bearings of a bracket which may be bolted to the side of the turret housing. The shaft is moved in an endwise direction so as to carry the tool 28 up to the forward end of the blank by a shifter 21c engaging a collar 21d which is fastened to the shaft 21, the shifter being rocked back and forth by a cam 21s on shaft 11. The shaft 21 is adapted to be rotated by a belt engaging a pulley 211 which can be clutched to or released from the shaft 21 by a suitable clutch mechanism which need not be here described but which is fully illustrated and described in the Erdman patent. The clutch is disengaged only at intervals when it is desired to change or repair the tool 26.

When the yoke of the shifter is rocked so as to shift the collar 21d secured to the shaft 21, the tool and shaft are moved forwardly toward the blank to be machined by direct thrust, but, to avoid chattering, we may place a so-called compensator between the shifter and the stationary part, as described in the Erdman patent.

When the shaft 21 and the tool 26 are moved forwardly so as to crown and countersink the forward end of the blank, the pusher 24 is retracted, the forward end of the pusher moving back beyond the lower end of the chute 22, and when the crowning and countersinking operations are completed by the tool 26, the latter and the shaft 21 are retracted. Thereupon the pusher 24 moves forwardly pushing the next blank into the jaws of the chuck 23 and causing the blank on which the tool has just been operating to move into the mouth or socket of a pivoted transfer arm 28 (Figs. 1, 3, and 10), the tool 26 and the shaft 21 meanwhile having been retracted. The transfer arm 28 which is identical with that in the Erdman patent is secured to a rock shaft 28a mounted in a bracket 2% secured to the upper part of the turret housing 88a. This transfer arm 28, the function of which is to carry the blank from the chuck 23 to one of the chucks E8 of the turret i8, is swung back and forth about the axis of the rock shaft 28a, and this is accomplished, as in the Erdman patent,by a rod 280 the lower end of which is connected to an arm 28d on the rock shaft supported by a bracket on the side of the bed and having attached to it an arm connected by a connecting rod to a cam 2th on shaft I i.

when the transfer arm is swung inwardly to its innermost position, the blank which it carries is in line with one of the chucks I9 of the turret which was previously indexed by bringing the empty chuck l9 into alignment with the blank at the lower end of the transfer arm when the latter is in the position stated. When this occurs, the blank is pushed from the transfer arm into the chuck 59 by a pusher 29 (Fig. 9) slidingly supported in a bracket carried by a spindle bracket 30 secured in fixed position on the bed at. This pusher is operated by an arm 2% on the upper end ,of a vertical rock shaft 290 which is rocked by a cam 29c on shaft ii (Figs. 1 and 9).

As previously stated, the turret It carries a series of chucks i t, in this instance, as in the Erdman patent, five in number. The chucks it are all of similar construction, one being indicated in section in Fig. 4. It will be observed by reference to this figure that the chuck is composed of a spring collet Isa secured to a sleeve i912 which extends out through the rear end of the turret. Inside the collet 59a is a stop We whose inward movement is yieldingly resisted by a spring its, this stop being pushed inward by the blank which is shown in position in the collet in Fig. 4. The inward movement of the stop I90 is stopped by an adjustable gauge rod led the position of which can be adjusted by an adjustable screw I9e carried by a plate l9f supported by studs I99 on the rear side of the turret. It will be understood that the adjusting screws Me for the five chucks are all mounted in this same plate I9f.

To cause the jaws of the chuck it to grip the blank, the spring collet is moved inward as usual to contact with a tapered ring lSh, and to move the collet inward there is provided on the rear end of each sleeve liib a rocking member I97 (Figs. 4 and 5). Each member I97 is yieldingly connected to a member I910 arranged adjacent a fixed member i911, the two members i970 and I911 having on adjacent faces cam lugs and indentations. It is obvious that when the member I9 is turned in one direction on the sleeve "3b the two members l9k and I911 are cammed apart so as to retract or move inward the collet l9a. When the member I97 is rocked in the opposite direction so that the lugs on one come into registration with the indentations on the other, the collet is moved outward and the jaws open, this being accomplished by a spring I9m.

Just as soon as the blank is moved into the jaws of the chuck, the jaws are automatically closed onto the blank and locked, and this is accomplished by a rotary cam 3| (see Figs. 4 and 5) the periphery of which is partly cam-shaped. and partly circular, as indicated in Fig. 5. 'This cam member is fixed to a sleeve 3la (Fig. 4) mounted on a shaft 32 extending centrally through the turret II. The rear end of the sleeve 3la carries an arm 3": which, as shown in Fig. 4,

is connected to a connecting rod tic adapted to be shifted by a cam Sid (Fig. 1). As soon as the blank has been pushed into the receiving chuck it (at position A), the cam member 3| is rocked, causing the rocking member I 97' associated with the chuck in receiving position to be rocked so as to turn the members l9k and I911 relatively, thus causing the collet to be pulled inward and the jaws to be closed on theblank. By reference to Fig. 5 it will be seen that the rocking members I91 are provided with a series of inner rollers i911 which are adjacent the periphery of the cam member 3i and a series of outer rollers I91). When the cam member 3! is rocked in the manner stated to close the jaws of the chuck onto the blank, it is moved in a clockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 5 so as to cause the roller i912. which, as shown. engages the cam portion, to ride up onto the peripheral or annular portion of the member 3|. This rocks the member H97, as stated above, to close the jaws on the blank and the roller remains in engagement with the circular portion of the cam member throughout the major portion of the cycle so that the jaws will be retained closed on the blank until near the end of the tapping operation.

Referring to Fig. 5, when a chuck i9 receives a blank it is in the position marked A in this figure and the chucks in positions B, C, D, and E through which positions each chuck successively passes as the turret is indexed are provided with blanks which are simultaneously operated on by tools, the tapping tool operating on the blank in the last position of the series, 1. e., in position E.

In the Erdman patent, when a chuck is being moved from position E to position A during the indexing of the turret the jaws of the chuck are opened and the completed blank is ejected from the chuck. In the present construction it is necessary that the chuck in position E be opened so as to permit the blank (now the partially tapped nut) to be withdrawn therefrom prior to the indexing operation. This involves a change in the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5 herein over the construction illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 of the Erdman patent, and this change or modification and the purpose thereof will be explained subsequently. Forwardly of the turret and directly in line with the chucks when in positions B, C, D, and E are the tools which perform not only all the operations performed in the Erdman patent but also the additional operation of tapping the blank so that when it is discharged from the machine the nut is completed. Thus the tapping operation is provided without the addition of another chuck or operating station, and this is made possible by providing tools which perform at stations B, C, and D all the operations (or the equivalent thereof) which in the Erdman patent are performed at stations B, C, D, and E.

At this point reference will be had to Figs. 13 to 30 wherein ll) represents the blank to be operated on, and II, l2, l3, l4, and I5 represent the blanks after being given the successiveoperaticns which are performed at the various working stations.

In the first operation performed on the forward end of the blank, the blank iscrowned as indicated at Ila and countersunk as indicated at lib, the countersink being preferably annular in form or a tapered depression with annular walls.

If a castle nut is being made, the facing and castle turning are preferably done at this sta-. tion on the forward end of the blank. The subsequent operations are all performed on the opposite end of the blank. These include first the forming of the counter sink I20, this operation being performed at station B. At station C are performed two operations the equivalent of which in the Erdman patent were performed at two stations, namely, the facing of the blank indicated at Ba and the drilling partway through the blank indicated at l3b. At station D the drilling i completed, the drilled opening extending from end to end being indicated at Ma. At station E the blank is tapped, the tapped hole being indicated at Mia.

The sizes or proportions of the countersinks lib and Ho. relative to the diameter of the drilled hole I40. and the purpose of the countersinking are precisely as in the Erdman patent.

As previously stated, the tool for countersinking and crowning or castle turning the forward end of the blank is designated 26. This is shown in Figs. 1 and 16. The tool for countersinking the opposite end of the blank at station B is indicated at 33 in Fig. 19. The tool for facing and the drill for drilling partway through the blank at station C are designated 34 and 35 respectively in Fig. 22. The drill for drilling the remainder of the way through the blank at station D is designated 36 in Fig. 25 and the tap which performs the tapping operation at station E is designated 31 in Fig. 28. The tools 33, 34, 35, and 38 are carried by three rotary andendwise movable spindles 38 rotatably mounted in endwise movable but non-rotating sleeves 39 precisely as in the Erdman patent, the forward ends of the sleeves being slidably supported in the bracket 38 previously referred to and their rear ends being slldably supported in a gear case 40 mounted on the rear portion of the bed, as shown in Fig. 2.

For the tapping operation we employ a bent tap (heretofore referred to by the reference character 31) having an unusually long shank along which the threaded nuts are passed, as is customary when the tapping is done with a so-called bent tap. The forward end of the tap has a tapping portion 31a and at the rear end has a bent portion 31b. In the design of the tapping mechanism so far as certain of its details are concerned, we have followed some of the teachings of the Mortus Patent No. 2,111,295, issued March 15, 1938, but in many important particulars our tapping mechanism differs from that disclosed in the Mortus patent. as for example,

(1) The tap and the hollow spindle which surrounds it have an endwise movement as well as a rotary movement;

(2) In the present machine there is an important cooperative relationship between the tap and other parts including the turret and the other tools which operate on the blanks while they are held in the chucks of the turret; and

(3) A portion of the tapping operation (preferably about half) is performed while the blank is held in the chuck of the turret and the remainder of the tapping is accomplished after the blank is released from the turret chuck and during the retraction of the tools and the indexing of the turret just prior to the start of the next cycle of operations.

The details of the tapping mechanism are best illustrated in Figs. 2, 2a, 11, and 12. By referring to these figures, it will be observed that the tap 31 is mounted in and extends through a hollow spindle 4| which is journaied in an endwise movable but non-rotating sleeve 42 which, like the sleeves 39, is slidable in the fixed bracket 30 and extends into and is slidablethrough the front wall of the gear case 40,

It will be noted that the tap 31 and the tap spindle 4| are considerably longer than the sleeve 42. The tap 31 and the spindle 4| extend rearwardly past the rear end of the sleeve 42 and out through the rear-wall 43 of the gear case, said wall43 being a part of a combined gear case cover and bracket 44 which supports the shaft 49 to which power is supplied in a. manner to be explained to drive all of the tool carrying spindles including the tap spindle 4|.

As in the Mortus patent, the tap is held centrally of the tap spindle 4i by the engagement of the tapped nuts with a pair of spindle tubes which are fitted in the forward and rear ends of the spindle 4|, the forward spindle tube being designated 49 and the rear spindle tube being designated 41 (see particularly Figs. 11 and 2a). As pointed out in the Mortus patent, more than two spindle tubes can be employed if necessary, but we find that two tubes arranged at the end of the spindle are sufficient for this purpose. The spindle tubes may be held in place in different ways or by suitable means and the particular holding and securing means herein illustrated will be described presently. The spindle tubes 46 and 41 are preferably readily removable so that they can be replaced with tubes of different internal diameters to adapt the machine for different sizes of nuts.

The tap spindle 4i rotates in suitable bushings 48 which are tightly fitted into the ends of the sleeve 42. In this instance these bushings 48 are provided at their outer ends with flanges which engage the ends of the sleeve 42.

The sleeve 42 and the sleeves 39 have threaded portions intermediate their ends and these threaded portions are engaged by nuts 48 screwed up against bosses 49a formed on a slide 49 which slides back and forth on the bed and thus reciprocates all tools as well as the pusher 29. By means of the nuts 48 the several sleeves 39 and the sleeve 42 are adjustably secured to the slide 49. Each of the sleeves 39 and the sleeve 42 are keyed to the slide and thus held from rotation, one of the keys, in this instance the key for holding the sleeve 42 against rotation, being shown at 58 in Fig. 2. It might be stated at this point that the slide 49 has a lower horizontal extension 49b which engages ways in the bed and on the rear of this extension is a roller 49c engaging a cam 49d mounted on shaft l1 and serving to reciprocate the slide and the several tools carried thereby.

For the purpose of transmitting the rotary movement of the tap spindle 4i to the tap 31, the spindle is provided atits rear end with a socalled head 5| into the hollow portion of which the bent end of the tap projects, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 2a. The head 5| may be fastened to the spindle in different ways but is preferably screwed onto a threaded portion of the spindle. One portibn of the chamber or cavity of the head Si is in the form of a slot 5|a located in the pe- ,ripheral portion of the head, and in this slot there is adjustably secured a bushing 52 into which the end of the tap projects, this bushing having an opening 52a therethrough Just large enough to accommodate the nuts as they slide off the bent end of the tap. This bushing actually forms the driving or rotating means for the tap, and for different sizes of nuts obviously bushings having different size openings 52a will be employed. As

there are slight variations in 'the length of the taps, the bushing 52 is made adjustable in a direction axially of the tap along the slot Sid, and for the purpose of guiding and adjusting the bushing, the opposite parallel side Walls of the slot are provided respectively with a guide pin 52b and with an adjustable setscrew 52c. The head of the setscrew fits into a notch in the bushing 52 so that as the setscrew is adjusted the bushing will be moved inwardly or outwardly of the slot la. in a direction parallel to the axis of the tap and the tap spindle.

The head 5i is surrounded by a casing or socalled guard 53 which catches the nuts as they pass through the bushing and fall or are thrown off the end of the tap. This guard is supported in stationary position on any suitable part such as the combined gear case cover and bracket 44. The guard 53 has a discharge portion 53a at its lower end, and while this discharge end may be open so as to permit the nuts to drop therefrom into a receptacle, we prefer to provide at the discharge end a pivoted trap door 54 (Fig. 3) which is swung open by the weight of the nut and closes automatically by being slightly counterweighted and thereby biased toward closed position. On the pin or pivot for this door there is provided a disk 54a which moves up and down as the door opens and closes and by its movement gives a visual indication that the tap is functioning properly and that the nuts are dropping off the end of the tap. This is advantageous since one operator supervises several machines. This guard has an opening on its inner side to permit the free movement of the head 5| forwardly and rearwardly along with the forward and rear movements of the tools and the slide 40.

For the three spindles 3B and the tap spindle 4| which carry or rotate all the tools operating on the rear ends of the blanks, the following driving or rotating mechanism is provided: Journaled in the front and rear walls of the gear case 46 is a shaft 55 to which is keyed a longfaced gear 56 and a long-faced gear- 51, the former being somewhat larger in diameter than the latter. The gear 56 is engaged by pinions 58 secured to the rear ends of the three spindles 36 while the gear 5'! is engaged by a pinion 59 which is secured to the tap spindle 4| between the rear end of the tap spindle sleeve 42 and the gear case cover 43. The shaft 55 is driven by the shaft 45 through a train of gears 60 the shaft having tight and loose pulleys 6l' adapted to be engaged by a driving belt, the loose pulley of course being provided as a convenient means for the operator to stop the rotation of the spindles. Normally, the spindles are constantly rotated as the spindles and the slide 49 are moved back and forth, it being understood that the faces of the gears 56 and 51 are long enough to permit the full stroke of the tools back and forth without interrupting the engagement between the gears and the pinions 58 and the pinion 59 which they respectively rotate.

It is not only desirable that there be eliminated the necessity for reversing the rotation of the tap which would be required if anything other than a bent tap were employed but it is important that the inclusion of the tapping operation should not increase the length or period of the cycle of operations. In the attainment of these desiderata we employ what we believe to be a novel method and novel mechanism by which a portion, in fact at least half, of the tapping operation is performed with the blank held in one of the chucks of the turret and by which there is an automatic transference of the blank from the chuck to an auxiliary holder which holds the blank against rotation during the completion of the tappingoperation, this occurring while the tools are being retracted and also during the indexing of the turret during which time the blank is moved back along the remaining portion of the tapping end of the tap and onto the shank of the latter.

The mechanism by which these results are accomplished will now be explained, reference be ing had particularly to Figs. 2 and 11. We provide at the front of the endwise movable tapping assembly a nut holder 62 in the form of a disk yieldably and slidably mounted in a housing 63 in the form of a cylindrical shell flanged or extended inwardly at its rear end and fitted onto the forward end of the tap spindle sleeve 42 to which it is secured against movement in all directions by a screw 63a (Fig. 12). The holder 62 has limited sliding movement in the housing 63 and is biased to its forwardmost position with its forward portion slightly beyond the forward end of the housing by springs 64 located in the housing and having their ends seatedin sockets formed in the rear portion of the housing and in the holder as shown in Fig. 11. The sliding movement of the holder in an axial direction is limited and at the same time the holder is prevented from turning in the housing by the equivalent of keys in the form of screws 65 which have threaded engagement with the housing 63 and have unthreaded shanks extending into horizontal elongated slots formed in the holder 62. The holder 62 is provided at the center thereof with a blank holding opening 62a which, as best shown in Fig. 12, has two parallel side walls between which is adapted to be received with a fairly close but sliding fit the two opposite side faces of the blank which is being tapped. Below the blank holding portion of the opening 6241 the latter widens out so as to permit the chips to drop out of the holder and through the bottom portion of the housing 63 which at the bottom has an opening 63b for this purpose.

When the tools come forward they substantially simultaneously engage the blanks in the chucks at positions B, C, D, and E, and just before the tap engages the blank and starts the tapping operation the holder 62 engages the front face of the collet of the chuck in position E and a portion of the blank moves into the blank holding opening 62a of the blank holder 62 as shown in Figs. 11 and 12. It might be mentioned at this point that when the blanks are pushed into the chuck at position A they are stopped at a point such that when the collet of the chuck closes onto the blank the latter projects forwardly somewhat beyond the front face of the collet, as clearly shown in Fig. 11, so that when the tools come forward the blank holder 62 moves onto and slides over the projecting portion of the blank and the two flat sides of the opening 62a come into blank-engaging position with two opposite faces of the blank. Accordingly, later when the chuck is opened and the collet releases the blank, as will be subsequently described, the holder 62 then becomes effective to hold the blank against rotation as the tools are retracted and during the remainder of the tapp Operation. By making provision for the movement between the holder 62 and the housrelative sliding on the tap and therefore on the tap spindle ll.

This is resisted by providing at the forward end of the tap spindle 4! an end thrust bearing it consisting of two races and an intervening series of anti-friction balls. The inner race of the bearing bears against the flange at the forward end of the front spindle tube ll while the outer race of the bearing bears against a nut ll which is screwed onto the threaded forward end of the tap spindle H. Thus the thrust on the tap and on the tap spindle is transmitted to and resisted by the spindle sleeve 42.

The nut 81 is held from rotation by a setscrew 68 shown in Fig. 11 and preferably the inner end i of this setscrew engages the front spindle tube 46 so as to hold it in position. The rear spindle tube 41 may be held in place by a setscrew or, as in the Mortus patent, by an L-shaped spindle tube holder "a which is secured in the recess of the head I and extends forwardly into the tap spindle and engages the rear end of the spindle tube 41 (see Fig- 2a).

As previously pointed out when a change is made in the size of the nut being tapped there is required a change in the spindle tubes 46 and 41 and the bushing 52, and it might be here mentioned that there is required also a change in the nut holder 52 since the distance between the parallel sides of the openings 82a of the blank holder varies with the size of the nut being tapped, i. e., the distance between two opposite parallel faces of the blank.

Upon the retraction of the tools the turret is indexed and we may use for indexing purposes precisely the means shown and described in the Erdman patent and the same need therefore be referred to only very briefly. There is provided at the rear of the turret an indexing plate 69 having radially disposed slots 6911 which are adapted to be engaged by a roller on a constantly rotating arm 10' (shown by dotted lines in Fig. l) secured to shaft II. A locking pin not shown but fully described in the Erdman patent is adapted to engage in notches 69b of the indexing plate so as to center and hold the plate in each of its operative positions. The locking pin is adapted to be actuated prior to each indexing operation by mechanism'such as described in the Erdman patent and actuated by a cam on shaft II. It will be understood, of course, that in each indexing movement the turret is moved through one-fifth of a revolution since the turret has a feeding position A and four operating positions B, C, D, and E. v

In the construction illustrated in the Erdman patent following the retraction of the tools the turret is indexed and during the indexing movement and while a chuck is being moved from position E to position A the chuck is opened and the blank is ejected from the chuck and drops down into a delivery chute. In our present machine since the tapping operation is provided at station E not only are the tapped nuts delivered differently and at adifferent point from the machined blanks of the Erdman patent, but the opening of the chuck to allowthe partially tapped blank to pass into the holder 82 and out of the collet of the chuck must occur earlier in the cycle of operations than in the Erdman patent and specifically prior to the start of the indexing operation. In the Erdman patentthe opening of the chucks is accomplished by the use of a stationary cam which is effective for this purpose during the indexing operation. In our construc tion we bring about the opening of the chuck at position E substantially concurrently with the closing of the chuck on a blank in position A by the rotation of the cam member ii, and this is accomplished by a. movable cam ll (see Figs. 4

and 5) which in this instance constitutes an ex-' tension of the arm llb which is rocked as a unit with the cam member ll by the connecting rod 3|c previously described. This movable cam ll thus serves the purpose of the stationary cam of the Erdman patent but functions earlier in the cycle so that the partially tapped blank may move from the collet of the chuck at position E further into the holder 62 and be entirely clear of the chuck before the indexing occurs.

To operate the machine, power is applied to the several pulleys which respectively rotate the shaft I'I carrying the cams, the shaft 21 which rotates the tool operating on the front face of the blank, and the shaft 45 which operates the rear set of tools operating on the blanks in positions B, C, D, and E. It might be here stated that, as in the Erdman patent, the shaft I1 is preferably in two aligned sections connected together by speed reducing gearing in a gear box 12 and incorporated in this gear boxis a clutch which can be controlled by a clutch lever 13 by which the main section of the shaft l1 carrying the cams can be disengaged from the power driven section carrying the pulley iib. By throwing out this clutch the machine as a whole is thrown out of action aside from the rotation of the tools.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

The operation is identical with that of the machine of the Erdman patent so far as many of the parts or features of the machine are concerned including the delivery of the blanks from the hopper through the chute 22 into the top side of the chuck 23, the action of the pusher 24 during its forward movement in pushing the blank into the chuck 23 and at the same time causing'the blank ahead of it to move into the transfer arm, the closing of the Jaws of the chuck on the blank, and as the transfer arm swings inwardly to deliver a blank to the chuck ll of the turret in position A, the advancing of the rotating tool 26, resulting in the countersinking and crowning (or castle turning) at the forward end of the blank as indicated in Figs. 16 and 17, this being followed by the retraction of the tool 28. Immediately after a blank is pushed into the transfer arm, the latter swings inward and when it arrives in front of the chuck in position A the pusher 29 pushes it from the transfer arm into the chuck in that position. About the same time, the tools carried by the slide are advanced and perform their several operations, these including of course the tool 33 operating on the blank at position B, the tools 34 and 35 operating on the blank at position C, the tool 36 operating on the blank at position D, and the tap 31 operating on the blank at position Ev Just before the tools are retracted the cam member 3! is actuated so as to actuate the rocking member I81 associated withthe chuck in position A, thus locking the blank in that chuck and substantially simultaneously the chuck i3 1 at position E where the tapping takes place is opened. Thereupon the tools 33, 34, 35, 36, and 31 and the slide carrying them are retracted and this is immediately followed by the indexing of the turret.

About half or somewhat more than half 01' the tapping of the blank at position E is accomplished before the chuck at position E is opened, and as the chuck in position E is opened the blank is of course released from the chuck, but it is now held by the nut holder 62 and it travels back through the opening 82a of the holder 62 rearwardly along the tap. The tools are now retracted and during the retraction of the tools and the subsequent indexing of the turret the tapping is completed and the blank passes from the tapping portion of the tap onto the shank of the tap. Thus step-by-step the blanks are moved along the tap and off the end thereof and are discharged into the guard 53. Thereupon the tools again move forwardly and the cycle of operations of the various tools is repeated.

Obviously the advantage of using a bent tap is the avoidance of the necessity of reversing the rotation of the tap at the completion of the tapping operation, and the advantage of having part of the tapping performed in the chuck of the turret and the remainder while the blank is being held in the holder 62 is that the tapping can be completed without lengthening the cycle of operations and without the necessity of driving the tap at an undesirably high speed. As a matter of fact, the ratio of the gearing employed in the gear case causes the tap to rotate at a slower speed than the other cutting tools which are moved forwardly and rearwardly simultaneously with the tap. It was previously mentioned that the crowning is accomplished at the forward end of the blank and that the facing, drilling, and tapping (the major portion of the tapping) are accomplished without the necessity of regripping the blank. The end of the blank which is faced is the washer or work engaging face of the blank, and the fact that the facing, drilling, and tapping are accomplished without the necessity of regripping the blank resuits in more accurately formed nuts in the respect that the drilled and tapped hole is at right angles to the washer or work engaging faced end of the blank. v

It is not at all important to the present invention that the tools and the operations performed thereby at stations B, C, and D (ahead of the tapping station) be precisely as herein illustrated. Instead of using a countersinking tool 33 at station B we may employ a drill at this station as well as drills 35 and 36 which operate at stations C and D, in which case the drilling will be accomplished at three stations instead of two, thus providing longer drill life. Furthermore, in that event we may associate with one of the drills at stations B, C, and D a countersinking tool to provide a countersink similar to that which is produced by the tool 26 at the forward end of the nut, and, i'urthermore, the facing tool 34 here associated with the drill 35 at station C may be associated with the drill at any one of the stations B, C, and D.

Summing up the advantages of the present invention as compared with the use of two separate machines, one for facing, crowning, and drilling or drilling and countersinking, and the other for tapping, the nuts are tapped more squarely with the work or washer engaging face of the nut. There is longer tap life since no scrap nuts or smaller nuts contact the taps and because the tap surface speeds are lower than on regular tapping machines. Adding the tapping operation to a machine such as shown in the Erdman patent does not lower production since the nuts are crowned, faced, drilled, and

tapped as fast as was practicable with the machine before the tapping operation was added. Economies are also eil'ected in other ways since the combined machine herein illustrated saves floor space and less labor is involved particularly as only one hopper instead of two need be filled and the coolant cost is less on the present machine than on regular nut tapping machines.- There is less likelihood of mixing nut sizes, less trucking of nuts is required, and one weighing operation is eliminated.

While the construction herein illustrated has proved to be very practical and efllcient and large numbers of these machines are being used, we do not desire to be confined to the precise constructionillustrated as changes other than those herein referred to may be made without depart ing from the spirit of the invention or affecting the general results and advantages attained by our invention. We therefore aim in our claims to cover all modifications which do not involve a departure from the spirit and scope of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A nut making machine comprising a turret having a plurality of chucks, means for supplying nut blanks one at a time to the chucks, a plurality of rotatable tools for substantially simultaneously operating on the blanks at the diilerent stations and including a rotatable bent tap, and means for relatively moving the turret and tools toward and away from each other. 7

2. A nut making machine comprising an indexible turret having a plurality of chucks, means for supplying blanks one at a time to the chucks of the turret, and a plurality of rotatable tools simultaneously movable toward and from the turret and including a rotatable bent tap operating in the last of the series of stations.

3. A nut making machine comprising an indexible turret having a plurality of chucks, means for supplying blanks one at a time to the chucks of the turret, a plurality of rotatable tools simultaneously movable toward and from the turret and including a rotatable bent tap operating in the last of the series of stations, and means for opening the chuck at the last mentioned station.

4. A nut making machine comprising an indexible turret having a plurality of chucks, means for supplying blanks one at a time to the chucks of the turret, a plurality of rotatable tools movable toward and from the turret and including a rotatable bent tap operating in the last of the series of stations, and means for opening the chuck at the last mentioned station after the start but prior to the completion of the tapping operation.

5. In a nut making machine, an indexible turret having a plurality of chucks, means for supplying nut blanks one at a time to the chucks, and a plurality of rotatable and endwise movable tools adapted to substantially simultaneously operate on the blanks at the different stations and including tools for racing, drilling, and tapping, the tool for tapping being a rotatabiebent tap.

6. In a nut making machine, a turret havin a plurality of chucks, means for supplying nut blanks one at a time to the chucks, a plurality of rotatable and endwise movable tools adapted to substantially simultaneously operate on the blanks at the diiierent stations and including tools for facing, drilling, and tapping, the tool for tapping being a rotatable bent tap, means for indexing the turret, and means for opening the chuck at the tapping station prior to the indexing movement. I

7. In a nut making machine, a turret having a plurality of chucks, means tor supplying nut blanks to the chucks, a plurality of rotatable and endwise movable tools adapted to substantially simultaneously operate on the blanks at the difierent stations andincluding tools for racing, drilling, and tapping, the tool for tapping being a bent tap. means for indexing the turret, and means for opening the chuck at the tannin station after the start but prior to the completion of the tapping operation.

8. In a nut tapping machine, an indexible turret having a plurality of chucks to which nut blanks are, supplied one at a time. a plurality of tools movable toward and from the turret and including a rotatable bent tap serving to initiate the tapping operation on a blank in the chuck at the tapping station, and means for successively opening the chucks at a given point in the working cycle, the tap having associated therewith at its tapping end a blank holder for holding the blank against rotation after it has been released from a chuck so that said top may complete the tapping operation.

9. In a nut tapping machine, an indexible turret having a plurality of chucks to which nut blanks are supplied, a plurality of tools movable toward and from the turret and including a bent tap, and means for successively opening the chucks at a given point in the working cycle, the tap having associated therewith at its tapping end a blank holder for holding the blank against rotation after it has been released from a chuck, said holder being yieldingly mounted and engageable with the chuck at the tapping station as the tap and other tools move forwardly to engage blanks held in the chucks.

10. In a machine for tapping nut blanks, a bent tap, a spindle through which the tap extends and having means for rotating the tap, means in which the spindle is Joumaled, and a nut holder adjacent the tapping end of the tap and supported for limited movement axially of the tap and the spindle.

11. In a nut tapping machine, a bent tap, a rotating spindle having means at one end for driving the tap, a sleeve in which the spindle is rotated, and a nut holder arranged adjacent the iorward tapping end of the tap and yieldingly supported by the sleeve for movement axially or the tap.

12. In a nut tapping machine, a tap. means for rotating the tap. and two separate holders one for holding a blank during a portion of the tapping operation and the other tor holding the blank against rotation during the remainder of the tapping operation.

13. In a nut tapping machine. a tap, means for supporting and rotating the tap, means for holding a blank during a portion or the tapping operation, means for moving the tap and the holder relatively axially of the tap, and an auxiliary or secondary blank holder located adjacent the tapping end 0! the tap. and serving to hold the blank against rotation during the remainder of the tapping operation.

14. In a nut tappingmachine, a bent tap. a spindle for supporting and rotating the tap, means for holding a blank during a portion of the tapping operation, means for moving the spindle and the tap in an endwise direction, and an auxiliary blank holder located adjacent the tapping end of the tap, said auxiliary holder being held against rotating movement and movable with the tap and its spindle as the latter are given their endwise movement.

15. In a nut tapping machine, a bent tap, a spindle for supporting and rotating the tap, means for holding a blank during a portion of .the tapping operation, means for moving the spindle and the tap in an endwise direction, and an auxiliary holder located adjacent the tapping end or the tap, said auxiliary holder being held against rotating movement and movable with the tap and its spindle as the latter are given their endwise movement and also having a movement axially of the tap and the spindle and relative thereto.

BENJAMIN H. MOR'I'US. LOUIS STEINFURTH. 

